


you have one (1) new notification on Canvas

by wrotethisbutnotmySOP



Category: Canadian Universities
Genre: I only live to cause chaos, warning: gratuitous use of a thesaurus, we're all just going through it right now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:20:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25039882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrotethisbutnotmySOP/pseuds/wrotethisbutnotmySOP
Summary: Bits and pieces inspired by whatever the hell is going on with our university subreddits.
Relationships: University of Toronto/University of Waterloo, will add others as they arrive
Comments: 11
Kudos: 43





	1. the logical thing to do

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by prince_pelleas and PepperMayor's fics. See end for notes.

A strange lethargy had crept over campus as the last light of the early sunset vanished. The streetlamps flickered on, the amiable daytime chatter faded, and a stern silence settled over the library while students slipped away, one by one. When Theo pushed his papers aside and let himself stretch, he saw that the only other student left in the room had already turned her textbook and sweater into a makeshift pillow. Above, the moon glinted between the slats of the skylight, full and lonely without the stars.

Six full hours and he was only half-finished with the sets. With exams approaching, this was something he needed to fix, and fast. Theo considered his options briefly, then steeled himself and made the call.

The break had been a mutual agreement. Frequent train trips and Skype calls that lasted until 3 am did not mesh well with research or coursework, and he and Walter both knew they’d feel anxious about spending time with each other when they could have directed the hours to studying on their own terms. A little recess, just for exams, had sounded rather nice to them (— _but that’s only because you guys are insane_ , Wesley had declared).

They’d even agreed to begin early to accommodate for an adjustment period, but _still_ —Theo sullenly rubbed at a scratch on the desk—was it supposed to smart this much? Was he just being sensitive because this was the first real relationship, the aftershock from the sheer newness of it? Or was it something more fundamental? Theo had never given much thought on these matters before, but Walter changed things. Walter had changed a lot of things.

The laptop flashed and he started, pushing the screen back and shoving in his earbuds to catch the static of shifting sheets as Gilles fought with his phone. “ _Calisse_ , fuck you Theo, I have a flight—”

“How do you and Bella do it?”

Gilles stilled.

“The distance, I mean.” Theo glanced over at the girl. Her head was still cushioned in her sweater, but he lowered his voice anyways. “The quiet of it.”

Gilles said nothing.

“When—” he couldn’t look at the screen any longer, “when there are so many things to do, and you have to keep the pace up, but…”

“But the _missing_ ,” Gilles supplied, and Theo looked up to see that his eyes were soft with knowing.

He chewed on his upper lip. “Walter and I agreed to—”

“To wait until exams pass, I know,” Gilles finished smoothly. “Quentin told me.”

“You think it’s stupid.”

“I know both of you well enough to know that what I _want_ to say will only make you dig your heels in, and I’m not going to give you that.” His tone was not unkind. “But the fact that you’re calling me instead of the others speaks for itself.”

Theo froze as the girl stirred, but her breathing settled out seconds later. “It’s not a complete blackout, we’re messaging and all. It’s just _seeing_ him. I’ve never—we’ve never—"

“It doesn’t get easier. Not the way I know you want it to.”

They sat in companionable silence. In the past, quietude had never been this simple; silence had only been something that festered between them, something that threw off sparks like hot coals when struck, the precursor to the next explosion. But that had been before Bella, and well before Walter. Now silence was a thoughtful, comfortable thing, something to share when they were content to simply let everything _be_.

Three tables away, the girl lifted her head, rubbed at her eyes and stood to pack her bag. Theo waited until she drifted through the double doors but whispered nonetheless, so softly that Gilles had to strain to hear: “What if he doesn’t want to talk to me?”

“Hm?”

“If…when I ask to call him. He’d be angry if I disturbed him while he’s studying.”

“He won’t mind, Theo.” His friend was looking at him with an expression Theo had only seen a precious handful of times. There was an indulgent curve to his small smile.

“How do you know—"

“Like I’ve said, I won’t tell you what to do. But I’ve been talking to Quentin and trust me, Walter won’t mind.” Gilles shifted and yawned. “Besides, it’s Walter, you know the drill. Bribe him with food, ask about the goose tattoo thing, get him to talk about California again. You’ll figure something out.”

“Right, thanks,” Theo murmured, just to have something to say. Gilles was already burrowing back into his pillows. “Say hi to Bella for me when you land.”

“Will do. We’ll see you Sunday. Don’t fuck up your life while I'm gone.”

And then Theo was alone.

He shut his eyes briefly, just long enough to feel the stillness of the room around him. Then he grabbed his problem sets, plucked his bag from the ground, and rose from his seat to pull on his coat. Outside, he paused, hands in his pockets, to stare at the moon in the starless sky.

He wondered if Walter was doing the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TL;DR
> 
> U of T: feeling like pure shit just want to see him x
> 
> McGill: then talk to him you coward
> 
> U of T: wait you can just do that?????


	2. a property of your solar system

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Read sagtag2020's fic, had a breakdown, bon appetit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tl;dr 
> 
> Waterloo: This is fine.
> 
> Laurier and Queens:
> 
> Waterloo: I’m okay with the events that are unfolding currently. 
> 
> Laurier and Queens:
> 
> Waterloo: That’s okay. Things are going to be okay.

Walter woke up to a text from Theo at exactly 8 AM sharp.

_have to study after lab so im turning my phone off. will let u know when im done_

He slid his phone back under his pillow and rolled over to blink at his ceiling.

*******

The sky was still grey and sullen when he met Laurie for lunch.

“You’re late.” She didn’t look up from her phone. “Where are we going?”

“Chill, I was working. Uh…Empress of India’s pretty good. Or Ennio’s. Oh, Mediterraneo, it’s actually really—what?”

Laurie had frozen mid-stride to gape at him, a hand splayed across her collarbones. “Wow _._ Craft beer? Italian food? What happened to you?”

He realised at the same time she did; as Laurie’s eyes grew comically wide and her hands leapt to cover her mouth, Walter spun back around and sailed down the steps. There was a prickly heat on his cheeks and on the back of his neck.

“So you’ve just been taking him to the fancy places all this time?! Oh my God, that’s so _cute—_ ”

Walter kept walking.

“Wally, wait, look, just—” she grasped at his elbow, and he put on a burst of speed, “You don’t need to keep being so snooty about it, I know you guys are taking a break, but just one date—just take him to the Observatory, he’d _love_ that! You could invite him for Wednesday, he doesn’t even start exams until the week after next—"

The last suggestion gave him pause. Something was off. While Laurie did pry (and did so often), she wasn’t one to push, not unless—“Are you making _bets_ on our relationship?!”

“Just the break part. I’ve got great odds, by the way.” Laurie pretended to study her nails. “Want me to cut you in?”

“What—Laurie, _what_ —”

“Wesley’s got ten bucks that you guys cave by Thursday.” Now she was grinning. “Carl just put fifteen for next Friday.”

“We are _not_ talking about this.”

“Whatever.” Laurie twisted around to grab her water bottle. “So, where we headed?” She unscrewed the cap, and Walter’s nose tingled with the familiar sting of alcohol.

He waited for her to drink. “Panino’s.”

Laurie choked.

*******

“Did Wesley send you?”

Quentin quirked an eyebrow.

“Did he at least hook you up with anything good?”

Quentin’s brows jumped higher, but he nodded, reached into his gym bag as he nudged Walter aside and tossed him a can before setting the rest of the pack down on the desk. “Sounds like Laurie brought you up to speed.”

“Yeah.” His voice dug in like a shovel striking gravel. “You part of the bet too?”

His friend shook his head.

Walter knew his lips were thinning, but he couldn’t help it; Quentin had always been hard to lie to. “It’s none of your business.”

He got a shrug in reply, and forced himself to keep eye contact. “It works for us, and that's what matters.”

A pause followed, broken only by the faint pitter-patter of the rain against the window. Then Quentin gave a deceptively light _hmm_ , which Walter knew was Quentin-speak for _I’ve got some strong opinions on this which I won’t voice until you figure this mess out yourself_.

It stung, and he bristled in response. “Look, I’ve got stuff due tonight.”

“Then you can keep the beer.” Quentin moved to sit on the bed, steadily tapping away on his phone. “Wesley’s picking me up in a bit, so I won’t bother you for long. I just need to talk to Gilles before he gets on his plane.”

*******

It hadn’t been his best work, but what was done was done.

Still, the guilt set in almost immediately when he stepped away from his desk. He could feel the strands of it pulsing, strong enough to tear, pricking at him as he wandered into the crisp night breeze and the last of the day’s drizzle. The air still smelled of wet concrete and the fresh tang of living green things, but the stone he sat on was cool and dry. Walter faced the sky, sucked in a breath and _whoosh_ -ed it out through his mouth, trying to clear the feelings of _wasted effort_ and _not good enough_ squirming against his stomach and at the back of his mind. All around the moon, the faint pinpricks of stars materialised as the remaining clouds melted away.

_We don’t get a lot of stars here_ , he’d told Theo once. _More than you do, sure, but we don’t have it as good as they do up north._

_This is good enough for me_ , Theo had murmured back.

He crossed his legs and kept staring above, scanning for the constellations that Theo had pointed out to him that night and willing their names up from somewhere dear, somewhere soft, somewhere full and aching in his chest.

He brought up just enough to know that he couldn’t quite remember them all, and suddenly the water on his face was not from the rain.


End file.
